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Stimulants
Cocaine / cocaine freebase
Drug group - Stimulants
Street names
Coke, charlie, snow, white, base, crack, freebase, rock
Drug effect
Strong stimulant (upper) and local anaesthetic. Effects of cocaine last for 15 to 30 minutes. Effects of freebase/crack last for 5 to 10 minutes.
Description
Cocaine - white powder
Cocaine freebase - small white chips
Therapeutic use
Local anaesthetic for eyes, ears and nose (rarely used)
Street use
Cocaine hydrochloride - sniffed, injected, snorted
Cocaine freebase - heated and inhaled, smoked
Dependency
Yes - mainly psychological
Withdrawal
No physical withdrawal symptoms, but it has been suggested that there may be sleeplessness, hunger and depression.
Long term use
Excessive restlessness and insomnia
Weight loss (anorexia)
Increase in blood pressure
Paranoid psychosis
Prolonged sleeplessness leading to mental confusion
If sniffed - damage to nasal membrane, damage to septum between nostrils
If injected - circulatory problems, infection risk
If inhaled - respiratory problems, lung damage
Overdose risk
High doses can result in increased body temperature, extreme agitation, convulsions and respiratory arrest. Overdose risk increases if cocaine is mixed with other drugs such as heroin or other depressants such as barbiturates and alcohol.
Legal status
Prescription Only Medicine
Class A, Schedule 2
Illegal to possess and to supply to others
Maximum penalty
Possession: 7 years
Supplying: Life
SPECIAL NOTE
There have been recent reports of users 'snowballing' or 'speedballing' - injecting or smoking heroin and cocaine together.